The accurate measurement of distances, angles and areas is of high interest for architects, real estate agents, craftsmen and do-it-yourself people in private households. They all need the actual dimensions of walls, objects, rooms and buildings to prepare and execute their planned work (e.g. installation of kitchens, windows, planning of room paintings, etc.). An intuitive and appealing way of collecting, manipulating, and visualizing the recorded measurements is important to make the measurement task efficient and joyful.
All range finder devices currently available on the market measure distances from the device itself to a target point chosen by the user. The measuring principle is based on a signal that is emitted from the devices, redirected at the surface around the target point, and received by the device again (see FIG. 1). For example, to measure the length of a wall the user places the device parallel to the wall and uses a neighboring wall as target. FIGS. 2 and 3 display two options using different reference points for measuring.
In modern engineering laser scanners are used for distance measurements in a variety of applications. FIG. 4 displays the working principle of a laser scanner. Most laser scanners use moveable mirrors to steer the laser beam. A precise steering of laser beams enables distance measurements at every pointing direction. This method, often called 3D object scanning or 3D laser scanning, is used to rapidly capture shapes of objects, buildings and landscapes. How fast scans can be developed is affected by the speed at which the mirror can be adjusted.